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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23546515">Stairway to Heaven</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lywinis/pseuds/Lywinis'>Lywinis</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Lo(v)er - Carve it in the Bridge: A Reddie ficlet/one-shot listing [9]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>IT (Movies - Muschietti)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Eddie Kaspbrak Loves Richie Tozier, Jealous Eddie Kaspbrak, M/M, Richie Tozier Loves Eddie Kaspbrak, Richie Tozier is a Little Shit, Tumblr Prompt, bickering as love language</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 16:40:44</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,305</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23546515</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lywinis/pseuds/Lywinis</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Yes, they do have to argue about everything, Richie thinks. That's just how it is.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Lo(v)er - Carve it in the Bridge: A Reddie ficlet/one-shot listing [9]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1686373</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>158</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Stairway to Heaven</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/bearfeathers/gifts">bearfeathers</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>20. Kissing in a stairwell, giving them an artificial height difference.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“I really did think there would be less stairs,” Richie said, huffing and puffing behind Eddie. Only the third floor, and he was already winded.</p><p>“You were the one who got papped on Washington Square,” Eddie said, not even sounding tired. Bastard. They’d been walking around all day, and now this, but Eddie was in better shape than Richie, who liked burgers and cigarettes too much to really try the gym for more than a month.</p><p>His hotel had a <em>lot</em> of stairs. Richie was debating on whether or not this was discrimination against the dad-bod set.</p><p>“Couldn’t help it,” Richie said.</p><p>“You could’ve,” Eddie said. “But you ‘had to pay your respects’ and hop on stage at the Comedy Cellar, didn’t you? Just can’t keep a low profile.”</p><p>“Hey, that set fuckin’ killed and you know it,” Richie panted, sucking air as he rounded the next turn in the stairwell. “I’ve still got it.”</p><p>“Not for long, bitch boy,” Eddie said. “We’re on the fifth floor, and you sound like you’re the one who needs the inhaler.”</p><p>“You don’t need the inhaler either,” Richie reminded him, using long legs to keep pace with Eddie. If Eddie decided to jog, he’d be fucked, but he had a feeling Eddie liked being just enough ahead of him to bitch and still be heard. “Besides, <em>you</em> booked the hotel.”</p><p>“Yeah, a third-floor room. And then you walked in and they upgraded you to the Penthouse,” Eddie said. “Because you can’t keep your fuckin’ mouth shut, you had to be you and be <em>charming</em> and sign <strong><em>autographs</em></strong>—I’ve seen your handwriting, it looks like a fucking chicken with a pen jammed in its cloaca is being diddled by an off-center washing machine, it’s fucking <strong><em>awful</em></strong>—"</p><p>“Why do I feel like I’m in fourth grade again and I got made hall monitor for that week and you were mad as fuck?” Richie asked, knees creaking as he followed along behind. “You didn’t have to come along, you know. You could have gone back to the hotel and used the elevator—”</p><p>“And leave you to those fuckin’ hyenas alone? Did you lose every single braincell in that fivehead of yours, Tozier?” Eddie’s hand sliced out to his side, the shorter man not even looking back at Richie. “What kind of a bastard do you take me for?”</p><p>“Well, you’ve complained nonstop since we got sidetracked into the alleyway,” Richie said, puffing a little more as he rounded the corner for the seventh floor. “We could have taken the service elevator.”</p><p>“Really. <em>Really</em>? Because your name carries weight and you can get us in where we’re not supposed to be?” Eddie’s hand sliced out again, gesticulating in a way that Richie would have been sure would have dislocated Eddie’s arm if he hadn’t seen it so often that it was second nature. “You’re the one who wanted to do all the <em>touristy</em> shit anyway.”</p><p>Not that it had gotten them much further than strolling around the city. Richie’s newest Netflix special had just dropped, and everyone seemed to want a piece of him. They’d stop for lunch and have at least one person swing by their table to talk to him. So yeah, he was a hot ticket item right now. It wasn’t like things wouldn’t even out soon.</p><p>“Well, excuse the fuck out of me,” Richie said, brows drawing down. Dammit, he couldn’t snark back when he was wheezing like this. “You’re the one who wanted to hang out. I coulda just gone by myself.”</p><p>“Fuck you,” Eddie snapped. “I haven’t seen you in six months, Rich, and you’re in town for a week and I’m gonna sit around at home in an empty apartment? I wanted to hang out with my <em>friend</em>—”</p><p>He turned when he realized that Richie wasn’t following him anymore, looming over the stairs and glaring at Richie.</p><p>“What? What, motherfucker, what’s that look for?” he asked, brows beetling down.</p><p>“Oh my god,” Richie said. “You’re <em>jealous</em>.”</p><p>Eddie looked like Richie was suggesting he swallow a frog. “Fuck. You. I’m not jealous of you.”</p><p>“Not of me,” Richie said, his eyes going wide as the realization slapped him in the metaphorical face. “<em>You’re</em> not getting enough attention.”</p><p>Eddie went a mottled shade of pink, red creeping up the back of his neck. “What the fuck did you just say to me?”</p><p>Richie was warm with the knowledge, a happy little bubble in his chest as he paused on the landing of the ninth floor. He grinned up at Eddie.</p><p>“You want me all to yourself, all you had to do was say so, Eds.” He waggled his brows at him, shoving his hands in his pockets. His face felt like it was going to freeze like that and he didn’t give a damn, the way Eddie jerked into movement to come after him.</p><p>“I’m going to push you down the stairs,” Eddie said, stomping down the steps until he was just above eye level to Richie, the petty little gremlin that he was.</p><p>“You can be mad all you want,” Richie said, smug. He had to tip his head back to look up at Eddie, but it was fine. Kind of hot, if he was admitting things right now; well, some things, anyway. “Fact of the matter is, every time I stopped for a photo op or to sign something, you just kept getting angrier. You’re a kettle on a quick boil at the best of times, so I don’t know why it took you this long. Face it, Kaspbrak, you’re jealous you don’t have me all to yourself.”</p><p>Now Richie knew. That was a hell of a feeling, that Eddie cared about him that much.</p><p>Richie wasn’t about to dump feelings on him or anything since Derry, but they hadn’t changed. In fact, it was hard to remember a time he hadn’t felt this way, the years between thirteen and forty a blur of ‘not having the Losers’ versus ‘having the Losers back’. Eddie still seemed to be the same old Eddie, albeit one marriage lighter and a lot happier now that he was learning more about himself. It was a nice thing to see, even if most of their interaction was through the group chat instead of in person.</p><p>He’d even told Richie he wanted to try baseball in the spring.</p><p>A good first step, even if Eddie was pissed at him right now.</p><p>“You’re such an asshole,” Eddie said, frowning.</p><p>“Yeah, but I’m your asshole, so don’t go getting your boxers in a bunch,” Richie said. “You know all you had to do was say you wanted to hang out, Losers only.”</p><p>“You’re not my asshole,” Eddie said. “You’d be a lot cleaner, for one.”</p><p>Richie had to laugh. He’d deserved that one. It hit a little closer to home for Richie, because he hadn’t really meant to make this as personal as he could, but there was always something about Eddie that pushed his buttons and made things slide in that direction whether he wanted to or not.</p><p>“And for two, it shouldn’t matter,” Eddie said, blowing out a breath. “I know the job requires you to be like, on when you’re in public. It’s just…exhausting. They probably think I’m your CPA or something.”</p><p>“Certified Piece of Ass?” Richie asked.</p><p>“No, dickhead, your accountant.” Eddie rolled his eyes. “You never seem to get tired of talking to people, but it’s weird, because I’m with you and no one seems to notice me. It’s fucked up, because we’ll be doing things and all of a sudden people want you to sign things and take pictures.”</p><p>“Yep, that’s how it is nowadays,” Richie said with a shrug. “I’m not really sure I can be out in public without being recognized, anymore. Not for a while at least.”</p><p>“Yeah, I just…” Eddie gave a helpless little twist of his shoulders. “I miss it. Back when we were kids.”</p><p>“You do?” Richie asked. “You hated me back then, too, dude. Not much has changed.”</p><p>“Rich, I never hated you,” Eddie said. His eyes pinched at the corners, and suddenly he looked tired. “I…”</p><p>“Oh,” Richie said. “Because I mostly did the shit I did to make you look at me, man.”</p><p>“What?” Eddie asked.</p><p>“Well,” Richie said, shrugging. “I liked your attention. So, I mean, I know how it feels. I’m just louder about it.”</p><p>Eddie frowned, arms folded in front of him, thumb tapping out against the inside of his elbow.</p><p>“Yeah, I really liked you. Like you. You’ve always been my best friend. All the Losers are, but you’re like…best-best.”</p><p>“I’m telling Bill,” Eddie said, with a grin.</p><p>“He probably won’t be surprised.” Richie smiled at him. “So, you have me all to yourself. Now what?”</p><p>“Dunno. Probably make you carry me the rest of the way up these stairs, because I’m tired.”</p><p>“You’re in better shape than I am!” Richie said. “I’m not the one who can break bricks with my fucking abs, dude. You’re shredded. Which is offensive to me. This is clearly bullying.”</p><p>“Maybe you should put down the cheeseburgers, then, Rich,” Eddie said.</p><p>This close, Richie noticed the twitch at the corner of Eddie’s mouth. He was trying not to smile, and that was the end goal, wasn’t it? To get Eddie to break.</p><p>“I will put down the cheeseburgers when you kiss me full on the mouth, you fucking—"</p><p>Eddie finally figured out how to shut Richie up, at least for a second, their mouths meeting clumsily until Eddie’s fingers wound in the hair at the back of Richie’s head and tugged it back. Richie opened on instinct, a low noise in his throat that turned into a whine as Eddie licked into his mouth, biting his lip and savaging it with a singular nip, as though to claim him.</p><p>Richie’s hands landed on Eddie’s hips, Eddie the perfect height to cup Richie’s face and just take what he wanted. He had no idea what the fuck was happening, but he was definitely just going to run with it until his brain caught up, which happened to be as Eddie pulled away.</p><p>“J-jesus,” Richie said, looking up at Eddie with awe. “Should have given up burgers sooner.”</p><p>“Richie, I can and will end your life.” Eddie gave him a serious look, which was hard to do when his lips were as red as they were and his eyes were all pupil, blown wide.</p><p>“I mean, you kinda came for it there, Eds,” Richie said, realizing he still had hold of Eddie’s hips and refusing to drop them. Instead he kneaded with his thumbs and was rewarded with a low noise from Eddie. “So, we gonna talk about this?”</p><p>“No,” Eddie decided. “No, we’re gonna go up to your room and we’re never gonna talk about this again, because that’s what adults do.”</p><p>“Nope,” Richie said. “Wrong answer.”</p><p>“I’m taller than you now, asshole, that doesn’t work.”</p><p>“Sure it does,” Richie said. “Eddie, I’m serious.”</p><p>“You have never once been serious ever in your life,” Eddie replied.</p><p>“Only once,” Richie said. “When I pulled you outta Neibolt. I told them to tell you Bill and Mikey did it, but I—”</p><p>“Rich—”</p><p>“No, if we’re not gonna talk about it then I’m gonna say it now so I don’t have to hold it in anymore.” Richie swallowed, his throat clicking. “I carried you out, almost the whole way, I wouldn’t let anyone touch you, I was so scared you were dead and someone else touching you would confirm—”</p><p>Eddie’s fingers touched his jaw, he flexed the muscle there, feeling his teeth grind together, wanting to shatter and pulp into dust.</p><p>“The truth is, I’ve been in love with you for my whole fucking life and if we’re not ever going to talk about this again, then I wanna stay here and kiss you some more. I was too chickenshit to say it before but if this is my shot, I’m shooting it and we’re staying here until I’m done kissing you. Fuck what anyone else thinks. I live in the stairwell now.”</p><p>Eddie gave a watery, low laugh. “Richie—”</p><p>But Richie just pulled Eddie forward, chasing his mouth. Eddie obliged him, letting Richie step into his space, kiss him hard and hungry like he’d wanted for years and years now. Eddie was breathing into him and Richie was breathing out Eddie and everything was hazy. Eddie let Richie scoop him against him, wrapping his legs around Richie’s waist, arms around his neck and hands in his hair. Richie groaned, big hands under Eddie’s thighs as he backed himself into a wall for balance, the stairwell echoing slightly with the sound of them.</p><p>“Eddie,” Richie panted against his neck, his knees weak but his back braced against the wall. “I only ever wanted you.”</p><p>“I think I—” Eddie gave a low huff as Richie kneaded his thighs. “I think I always knew that.”</p><p>“Can we go upstairs?” Richie asked softly. “Is there a time limit on this?”</p><p>“No,” Eddie said. He wiggled, and Richie set him on his feet, only to have Eddie latch onto his middle hugging him hard. “No, let’s go upstairs. Please.”</p><p>“Okay,” Richie’s eyes were wet and he scrubbed at them with his other hand, fixing his glasses that had been knocked askew. “Okay. Come on. Fuck these stairs, we’re taking the elevator like actual human beings.”</p><p>He fumbled with the crash bar and got it open, tugging Eddie through and down the hall. The elevators were empty, and they pushed into them while laughing as Richie boxed Eddie in again. They were only five floors from the penthouse, but Richie would rather save his energy for loving Eddie.</p><p>The way it was supposed to be.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I struggled with the ending to this one. Sometimes, I get you more than you probably realize, Billy boy. However, it is done. Thank you for reading!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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